


Moulin Rouge

by Static_melody



Category: Pandora Hearts
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-08-30
Packaged: 2018-09-18 22:23:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 14,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9405551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Static_melody/pseuds/Static_melody
Summary: Elliot is the son of a politician, only taking musical theater for credits. Leo is a quiet and sort of scary musical theater nerd who's been assigned to mentor him. Elliot still thinks he's straight. Whoops.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> don't expect good descriptions from me

Elliot Nightray stood, frozen, outside of the musical theater room’s door. He had been spending the past few minutes trying desperately to gather himself and convince himself that it wasn’t going to be so bad. He had never wanted to go into musical theater, or he would’ve started long before his junior year and his father would’ve paid for pricey classes at some prestigious university. The school had simply placed him there so he could get his elective credits before graduation next year and he was required to attend until he could figure out how to somehow drop the class. He took a deep breath. He reached slowly for the doorknob, and then pulled away. Maybe he could just wait it out in the office… Wouldn’t his father be angry, though? Before he could make a decision, someone pushed past him quite rudely. The guy was shorter and had a mess of black hair that made him look like some sort of weird living houseplant. He was wearing a sweater three sizes too big and carrying a bundle of books. His dirty glasses fell halfway down his nose as he jostled Elliot out of the way, reaching for the door himself.  
“Take your time, why don’t you?” Came the sharp remark from the boy as he entered the room, letting the class catch full sight of Elliot. He had to come in now.  
He recognized the boy as Leo. They were in the same grade, and though Leo was always reading in class, he got decent grades and the teachers never chastised him for it. He learned a year earlier not to mess with Leo when a substitute had tried to interrupt his reading and was met with a temper fitting for the name. Elliot had never thought of him as the musical theater type, but he supposed he just might be that kind of weirdo. Nobody really knew too much about him, after all.  
He watched as Leo took his seat near the back of the windowless classroom and cracked open a book that Elliot was surprised had been closed to begin with. Elliot promptly chose the furthest seat from him.   
As class ensued, he found himself sneaking glances at Leo, despite himself. He wasn’t shocked to find that he never set his book down and that the other students didn’t seem to want to bother him. Maybe the class was forced on him, too.   
Just as he found himself staring, someone addressed the subject of his interest directly.  
“Leo, what do you think?”  
He was surprised to hear anyone speak the name aloud. Leo barely looked up from his book.  
“Some of the people who were in the last production of “Mary Poppins” are seniors now. Don’t you think they’d still be attached to their roles? I’d rather not have any seniors harbor resentment for this, thank you.”  
The class took on a quiet and thoughtful atmosphere as everyone mulled over what had been said. Then, promptly, the teacher erased “Mary Poppins” from the whiteboard.   
So maybe Leo was a musical theater nerd after all.  
Throughout the period, whenever a proposition was brought up, Leo was consulted and immediately voiced a sound reason for not performing that specific musical that year. Elliot couldn’t help but think him a bit of a buzzkill, though his reasoning was neutral and valid.   
“Little Shop of Horrors?”  
“We did that in my Freshman year and it was a disaster. The school wouldn’t fund us.”  
“Grease?”  
“Haven’t you heard? There’s a big production of that going on downtown. No one would show.”  
“The Sound of Music?”  
“Our rival school’s doing that one this year.”  
There was a long pause as the room fell into collective thought.  
“What do you have to offer, Leo?” someone finally spoke up.  
“Oh. Uhh,” he thought for a moment. “ “Moulin Rouge” would be fun.”  
There was a murmur of agreement from most of the people in the room. Elliot had heard the name in passing, but never actually seen any production of it. From what he could tell, it seemed pretty interesting, if not totally corny. He supposed he could get behind it.  
“What do you think, Elliot?”   
Elliot jumped at hearing his own name. Watching the scene play out, he had almost forgotten that he was even a part of it. He could feel his face go red.  
“Oh. I, uh… don’t know musicals.”  
“That’s right!” The teacher, who had been mostly quiet (The class seemed to forget he was even their teacher at times) approached him. “I forgot! We have a new face in our class today! Everyone, this is Elliot Nightray.”  
Everyone already knew who Elliot was. Word of his existence was quick to spread, with him being a politician’s son and all.  
“Hi,” he managed weakly, raising a hand.  
“I’m Mr. Lunettes, but you can call me Reim. We’re more like a family here than a class, after all.” He smiled softly and shook Elliot’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Nightray.”  
“Mr. Nightray is my father,” came the automatic response. He stumbled, then, remembering that he wasn’t at some big political meeting, he was in a musical theater class. Somehow, the latter was more threatening. “I-I mean, just Elliot is fine.”  
“And you don’t know much about musical theater?”  
“No, sir.”  
“Then we’ll have to get you caught up. Leo?”  
There was the sound of a book snapping shut. Though it was a nonhuman noise, it was decidedly very annoyed.  
“Wouldn’t you rather have Maurice do it?”  
“You’ve got loads of experience. Would you please?”  
With a sigh, Leo rose from his seat and made his way to the other side of the classroom. He looked down at Elliot, not quite glowering, but not with much affection, and simply stood there.  
Elliot squirmed under the collective gaze of the class. Was this some initiation ritual? What was going to happen to him? He knew he should’ve skipped class.  
Leo kicked his chair’s leg.  
“Well? C’mon.”  
“Sorry for the short notice. Elliot, if you’d go with Leo… He’ll explain our class to you in the practice room and you’ll be partners for a while after that. Think of it like an apprenticeship.” Reim stepped to the side, already inching his way toward his desk. Before he could protest or voice his opinion on the decision, Leo had pulled him by the arm out of his seat and was dragging him towards the door.  
“We’ll discuss “Moulin Rouge” while you’re gone!” Reim called after them.  
“We’ll be a good while,” replied Leo.

 

“So,” Leo sat on the wooden floor crosslegged, facing Elliot but not quite looking at him, “Do you have experience in musical theater?”  
“No,” Elliot said softly.  
“So you want to learn.”  
“Not… particularly,” he stopped trying to make eye contact.  
“Then why are you here?” Leo half-snapped. Elliot wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be rude or not.  
“The school put me here… I didn’t sign up for it.”  
“So you’re dropping the class.”  
“Probably.”  
“Great! One less thing to worry about,” Leo finally seemed pleased at something. That pissed Elliot off.  
“I saw a musical once,” he jumped to his own defense, “it was good.”  
“Mmhm?” He sounded disinterested.  
“It was a big production downtown. It was amazing. A local genius writer put it all together by himself. My father got us front row seats. I don’t remember the title, but it was about a girl whose family disowns her and who finds herself alone in the world, only to stumble upon a nobleman who takes her into his home as a servant and falls for her, despite being engaged,” the words just kept coming out at this point. There was no use in trying to stop them. “And the woman… the main lead… She couldn’t have been older than me at the time, and she was so… I was… I kept imagining myself in the nobleman’s place, rescuing her from her misery only to fall in love with her… she certainly had a face you could fall in love with. I think I nearly did.”  
“It’s called “Blue Dahlia”,” Leo broke in, “I was in it.”  
“Oh.” Elliot tried to recall seeing a face like Leo’s in the cast, but couldn’t conjure any image. Perhaps he’d been in the ensemble or something.  
“So you like girls?” Leo asked the question so nonchalantly, opening his book again. From what Elliot could see, the words were densely-packed.  
“Um…” Elliot paused. “Not… usually. But she was just so…”  
“I understand. I don’t usually like people, to be honest. Sometimes, I think I see the face of my soulmate in a crowd but that’s just stupid. Don’t you think?”  
“Kind of, yeah,” Elliot mused, “that sort of thing only happens in books, right?”  
“Right. I suppose there is some sense in you,” Leo half-smiled. “You can’t fall in love with a face, Elliot. That’s absurd.” He paused. “But there’s going to be a reunion performance next week if you’d rather a chance at falling in love with the person behind it.”  
With that, he got up and left, having explained absolutely nothing about the class to Elliot.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elliot goes and sees the hot girl, shenanigans ensue. If you can't see where this is going, you're new to this.

Elliot had his father pull some strings and was seated in the front row. He felt himself shiver with anticipation. What he had in his hand -- a bouquet consisting mostly of dahlias -- was for the star. There was a little slip of paper with his first name and number attached. He didn’t want Dahlia herself to judge him based on his title. It struck him that he didn’t know her name.  
The curtains opened, the lights dimmed and she walked out on stage, just as beautiful as he remembered her. Her hair fell in a braid over her shoulder, and the delicate curvature of her figure was flattered by the simple dress she wore. Elliot felt his heart pounding as she opened her mouth and began to sing the opening number, soft and mournful. Elliot didn’t realize how tense he’d been until the first act ended and the crowd of people dispersed temporarily. Instead of wandering off to find his father, Elliot studied the bouquet -- one Leo had helped him arrange, as they’d become friends in the past week of class -- and remembered. He hadn’t seen Leo yet, though he insisted he’d be onstage at the show. Maybe he was sick or something. He was really beginning to worry…  
“Oh! Elliot!” Reim was suddenly making his way towards the still-seated boy. “You’re here!”  
“Ah, Mr. Lunettes!” Elliot snapped out of his daydream suddenly, and rose to meet Him. He noticed that a taller male was following behind, white-haired and pale.   
“Just Reim! It’s such a surprise to see you here,” Reim said, though he seemed pleased, “It’s a good opportunity to introduce you to my fiance! Xerx?” He looked back at the other.  
“Nice to meet you, I’m Xerxes Break. You can call me Break, though.” He seemed sort of disinterested, despite his husband-to-be’s enthusiasm.  
Elliot’s heart stopped.  
“THE Xerxes Break?!”  
“Ah, You’re a fan?” Break seemed to perk up a bit at the recognition.  
“A fan?! The biggest. You’re the swordfighting legend, Xerxes Break, right? I knew I recognized you!”  
“Oh, indeed,” Break purred, quite pleased with the praise.  
“It’s always been a dream of mine to… to fight you!” Elliot exclaimed, gripping the bouquet tightly.  
“Yeah? Alright. We can schedule something,” He seemed amused, “Not tonight, though. Reim and I have date plans! Don’t we, honey?”  
“Not in front of my students, Xerx!” Reim mumbled. “Well, we’ll be off. Halftime’s almost over! See you in class.”  
It was true. Elliot’s plan had been to see her during halftime, but he’d gotten so caught up in the presence of his idol… before he knew it, she was onstage again, dancing with a man much taller than him. At the end of the number, she fake-kissed him and it made his heart sink somehow. He remembered Leo’s words. “You can’t fall in love with a face.” If that was as wise and true as Leo acted like it was, why did it make him feel so weak?  
The end of the final act drew near. Dahlia lay, convincingly dying, at her lover’s feet. This was the only bit Elliot couldn’t relate to. In the end, the nobleman had chosen his fiancee and his social status over her and poisoned her as he pretended to prepare to elope. Honestly, Elliot was just preparing for it to be over.   
Finally, the curtains closed. Elliot, clueless, made his way towards the backstage entrance, bouquet in hand.   
“Elliot!”  
Shit.  
“Oh! Hey, Mr.-- um, Reim. I’m kind of in a hurry.”  
“Yeah, I was meaning to ask you! Are those flowers for Leo? That’s so thoughtful of you. If Xerx had been there for me like that when I started acting, maybe I would’ve made it big!”  
“Uh, no… They’re for Dahlia, actually.”  
Reim paused, then a look of mischevious understanding overcame his features.  
“Ahh, Dahlia. I see. Have fun with Dahlia, then!” He turned around, mumbling something about there being more boys like Elliot in the world.

Elliot ended up leaving the flowers at her dressing room door, too embarrassed to go and talk to her himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry its so short


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SHORT AS HECK SORRY.  
> uhh Reim is a weird teacher with no friends, Break gets himself into shit, Elliot is still oblivious.

“I chickened out,” Elliot admitted dejectedly, nursing his tea.  
“It’s okay, it happens,” Reim said with a hint of humor. He sipped his coffee.  
“It’s not. I don’t even know her name. I might never see her again!”  
“Well, i’m sure if you ask nicely… No, it’s weird enough to take my student on a coffee date. I don’t want to pry,” Reim laughed nervously, “Though I sort of feel like we’re friends. Don’t you?”  
“I guess I don’t feel like your student,” Elliot admitted.  
There was an amicable silence.   
“When are auditions?” Elliot asked suddenly, “For “Moulin Rouge”?”  
“I suppose they’ve got to be soon, though there’s not a lot of contest for the lead.”  
“Leo?”  
“Leo.”  
“He’s really good in class.”  
Reim started to look nervous around halfway through that sentence. Then, he promptly relaxed.  
“Elliot, why don’t you audition?”  
“I’m not good enough to get a large role… I’ve only been here for a little while,” Elliot sighed, sipping his tea.  
“Mm. I’ve heard you singing, though. You’re good. And your acting isn’t half-bad, either.”  
“You think..?” Elliot smiled slightly at the compliment.  
“For sure. Maybe you’d get cast as a lead. I don’t know, I don’t decide on the cast, but I think you’ve got a fair shot.”  
“A fair shot, huh? But… didn’t you say Leo would likely get the main lead?”  
“Yes,” Reim had apparently decided that his coffee was too bitter but was being too prideful to go get a sugar packet, “but there are two lead roles.”  
“You’re not implying that I should wear a dress, are you?”  
“No! Goodness, no. I never said that…” Reim got a text and promptly donned a worried expression. “Xerx got himself into something again. I’m afraid I’ve got to go,” reim stood, leaving his coffee. “This was nice! Good talk. See you in class.”  
With that, he was gone, leaving Elliot sure of only one truth:  
Leo was going to be a tough opponent.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elliot finally realizes what the fuc is up

“Hey, tell Reim that I’m sick? Can’t stop puking lol”  
The text came just before class, and Elliot was bewildered to say the least. The number wasn’t saved in his phone.  
“Who is this?” He responded.  
“Leo.”  
Elliot was certain that he’d never given Leo his phone number. Maybe Reim had, though. Still sort of creepy.  
“Sure, then. Get well soon.” The last part was a courtesy. He saved the number in his phone.  
He received another text.  
“You enjoy the Blue Dahlia?”  
“Yeah. I chickened out on talking to her, though.”  
“I noticed.”  
“Do you think she liked the flowers?”  
“Yep.”  
“Do you think she’ll text me?”  
With that, Leo stopped replying, presumably to do some more of the aforementioned puking. To be honest, he did look kinda sickly the week before.  
Elliot sat in his usual spot, right next to Leo’s empty seat, and awaited instruction.  
“So, class! Auditions are Friday if you didn’t know,” Reim had to shout to overpower the dull roar, “and we’ll tell you who’s doing what online on Sunday. Good luck to all of you, I hope you all have a great time regardless of the role you get!”

And so Elliot practiced. And practiced. And practiced. He stayed up all night some nights, and listened only to the soundtrack. When the day of the audition came, he felt strongly that he’d beat Leo. He’d beat Leo no matter what.  
Although he’d been sick all week, Leo showed up to audition. He avoided Elliot the whole time, speaking to him only briefly. Maybe he was aware of their competition, as well. Still, Elliot regarded it as more “friendly” competition and less “avoid me, we’re enemies now” competition. He’d texted Leo a number of times over the week and he’d never responded. Elliot really wondered what he’d done. Maybe he was just trying to avoid getting Elliot sick.  
Still, the subject weighed him down through the audition, and though he felt fairly secure in his role afterwards, he was beginning to regret putting in so much work. He didn’t want his friendship with Leo to end over something like this. To be honest, he’d grown quite fond of him, and wanted to grow fonder. He almost considered them best friends. But apparently, that feeling wasn’t mutual. He texted Leo multiple times over the weekend after that:  
“How did the audition go?”  
“Are you feeling any better?”  
“Why won’t you text back?”  
“Did I do something?”  
“I’m sorry.”  
Leo didn’t respond until Sunday. It was three simple words:  
“Results are up.”  
Elliot had almost forgotten.  
Wearily, almost regretfully, he went to the school website and followed the maze of links that would lead him to the results page.  
It took a full minute to load.  
He scrolled through. At the very bottom, there were the words:  
“Christian - Elliot  
Satine - Leo”

Just then, his phone lit up. Reim was calling.  
“Uh… hello?” Elliot picked up the phone.  
“Did you see the results?” Reim asked excitedly. “I knew you could do it! You’ve always had it in you!”  
“Uh, yeah. When you said that Leo was guaranteed the lead, I wasn’t envisioning… this.”  
“Why not?” Reim paused for a few moments, “Not to sound weird, but we both know Leo can pull off a dress.”  
“A… dress?”  
“You saw Blue Dahlia, right? He looked great. Barely recognizable.”  
Elliot’s stomach dropped.  
“I… Have to go.”  
“Congratulations on the role!” Reim cheerfully commented just before Elliot hung up on him.  
He texted Leo one more time.  
“I am so, so sorry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> crossdressing Leo is a gay icon


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yikes

It’s not easy to avoid someone when you’re cast as their love interest, but outside of practice, Elliot and Leo rarely interacted. Wondering if he’d messed up was bad, knowing he did was far worse. Looking back on it, he was shocked that he hadn’t noticed. They -- Leo and Dahlia -- had the same color of hair and eyes, though Dahlia’s was neatened into a braid. They had the same nose, the same jawline -- this was because they were the same person. How could he not have seen it sooner?! He had always approached Leo for advice on pursuing Dahlia, but he was really asking how to pursue Leo. It was all just so confusing to him, and probably more confusing to Leo. Did Leo even like men? Elliot had never thought to ask before. He thought it hadn’t really mattered.   
“Are you okay?” Reim sat next to Elliot, watching the rest of the class practice.  
“I guess,” Elliot responded without thinking.  
“It’s Leo, right? Did you two..?” He shrugged, furrowing his brow and lowering his voice. “Break up?”  
“We were never a thing to begin with. It was all a misunderstanding.” Elliot rested his head on his hands, sighing. “I don’t know. How did you and Break get together? I need a happy story.”  
“Well, when I first started working here, he had been here for years…” Reim began, “he always used to bully me and have me grade his students. He used to be the musical theater teacher here, you know? I started off teaching vocal. When Break left, he immediately invited me out for drinks.”  
“Hm…” Elliot sighed. “What was Leo like when he first got here?”  
Reim chuckled. “I wasn’t here for that, but I heard he was far more tempermental. I know a guy who taught him in elementary school, and he said that he was expelled for biting another student.”  
“Wow.”  
“Yeah. When i first met him, he seemed so distant… but he really uses musical theater as a form of self-expression. He can work any role, which makes him popular for female leads. He’s really pretty, under all that hair and stuff, too.”  
“Tell me about it,” Elliot said miserably.  
“Do you love him?” Reim whispered.  
Elliot paused. “I don’t know. I might. Or I might just love Dahlia. Either way, I don’t want to lose what we’ve got… our friendship, that is.”  
“I don’t think it’s entirely you.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“He seems like he’s figuring himself out, too. Maybe he just needs space..?”  
Elliot scoffed. “That’s inconvenient. How awkward are the kiss scenes gonna be now?”  
Reim nodded thoughtfully.  
“Well, I hope you figure out what you need from each other.”  
“Thanks, Reim. I’m sure we will.”

That evening, Elliot got a text.  
“Do you want to stay friends or not because this is getting awkward”  
Well, at least Leo was straightforward.  
“I want to stay friends but it’s sort of weird now. How about you?”  
“Yeah”  
“I guess”  
“Maybe not”  
Elliot was holding his breath. His heart sunk.  
“What do you mean?”  
“Hearing you talk about her or me or whatever was nice”  
Leo continued:  
“I’m sorry.”  
“I guess hearing you talk about me like that was weird”  
“I liked it”  
“I guess”  
“Maybe I fell for you”  
“I dunno”  
“Never done that before”  
“Goodnight”  
And Leo was gone before Elliot could even respond. Even if he could think of what to respond, he might not have said it. Instead, he just told Leo goodnight and went to bed, his phone across the room.  
He didn’t sleep at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its short but a mans gotta sleep


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hmmmm :(

Practice was considerably less awkward than it could have been. Leo graciously decided on acting like nothing had ever happened and ignored the whole incident. However, Elliot realized fairly quickly that the incident wasn’t the only thing Leo was ignoring -- he was acting like Elliot didn’t even exist, going as far as to block his number. More than the annoyance Elliot would usually feel if one of his friends pulled this sort of stunt, he felt somehow disheartened. They went through practice as well as they could, Elliot much less interested in the acting than he was in Leo.  
At the end of the period, he stopped Leo just before he left the practice room, after it was all empty.  
“Leo.” He grabbed his shoulder, stopping him. Leo slowly turned, expression blank.  
“Um… yes?” He raised an eyebrow. His grip on the books he’d been carrying tightened.  
Elliot fully intended to start yelling. He meant to demand just why Leo thought it was fine just to pretend like nothing had happened. He thought he would tell him something equally encouraging and scathing. Instead, he smiled.  
“I’m having trouble with lines. Can you help?”  
Leo’s neutral expression morphed into something more defensive.  
“No. Go ask someone else.”  
With that, he brushed him off and strode out the door, leaving Elliot behind him.

“He likes you,” came a voice from behind him.  
Elliot whipped around. The empty room wasn’t so empty, after all. Reim stood in one corner, having watched the scene play out.  
“He’s acting like he doesn’t even know me.” Elliot turned to face the doorway again, watching the spot that Leo had left him.  
“He does that,” Reim said softly. “It’s not really my place to tell you why, but… He doesn’t like getting close to people, I guess.”  
“I think I have a right to know why he’d do this. After everything. After last night…” Elliot made fists of his hands, not sure whether he was angry or anxious or both.  
Reim put a hand on his shoulder.  
“Hey, do you need to talk after school? I’m technically not allowed to tell you, but…”  
“Did he tell you himself?”  
“No, his therapist did. She told the school, at least… I’m not surprised he hasn’t said anything. He’s a private guy.”  
The bell rung.  
“I’ll write you a pass, you’d better get to your next period. I’ll see you after school, though?”  
“Yeah,” Elliot said. “Thanks.”

“I’m glad you actually showed up,” Reim sat on the floor and patted the spot next to him, beckoning Elliot. Feeling too tired to protest or drag over a chair, he shuffled over and sat.  
“You said you wanted to talk?” Elliot rubbed his eyes.  
Reim nodded. “How do you feel?”  
Elliot thought about that for a moment. He wasn’t angry. That was new. He shrugged.  
“I know it’s tough… Leo does this with anyone who tries to get close to him, really…” Reim took his glasses off to clean them.  
“That’s not fair.”  
“I think it’s some sort of coping mechanism…”  
“That doesn’t excuse it, though,” Elliot snapped.  
“Did… did something happen?” Reim placed a hand on Elliot’s shoulder.  
Elliot nodded solemnly. “Last night, he… confessed to me. I guess. I had no idea he felt that way.”  
“And what did you say?”  
“He blocked my number before I could say anything!” Elliot balled up the fabric of his pantleg in his fists. “He didn’t even think to ask me how I felt or how we would move on! It’s fucking ridiculous! The first time I’ve EVER felt like I had a real friend and he just… forgets me! Just like that! Like I’m nothing!”  
“Um… should I go?” Leo’s voice came from the doorway behind Elliot. He froze.   
“Leo, come in. Sit down.”  
Leo, for once, did as he was told. He avoided eye contact with Elliot the whole time.  
“Neither of you are leaving this room until you at least talk, ok?” Reim said, firmly but gently. “It hurts seeing you two like this… I know it hurts you guys more. It’s not super teacherly of me, but…” He stood up and walked to the door, “I’ll wait outside until you two have communicated.”  
Before either could protest, Reim left. The lock clicked. They were alone.   
Elliot turned to Leo.  
“Did you hear that?”  
Leo nodded.  
“I didn’t know I hurt you so much.”  
“Well you did,” Elliot said coldly. “Whether you regret getting to know me or not--” he stopped suddenly to collect himself. His eyes stung with tears. He was going to cry.  
“We have to work together, right?” Leo said softly.  
“Y-yeah.”  
“I… never got this far before. So I guess I have to say I’m sorry now…”  
“You don’t have to,” Elliot snapped.  
“No, I phrased that wrong. I want to. And I… owe you an explaination.”  
Elliot looked up from sniffling and wiped his eyes rather violently with his sleeve. Leo was fidgeting, looking at his hands, folded in his lap. He took a deep, shuddery breath.  
“I haven’t told anyone at this school. I don’t think anybody but the staff knows. But, um… my parents… kicked me out. After I started showing signs of mental illness and they couldn’t get me to stop. So I guess… I impulsively told you about my feelings and… I wanted to leave you before you left me. It’s not a good excuse and--”  
“Who said I was gonna leave you?!” In his sudden outburst, Elliot stood and started to pace, gesturing with his hands the whole time he talked. “I can’t believe you think so little of me! As if I was gonna be the one leaving! After spending all that time gushing to you about how much I wanted to get to know Dahlia -- you --... you up and blocked me and proceeded to not say a word to me all day! Do you have any idea how creepy I felt?! I felt like I ruined our friendship before it even properly began and you have the nerve to play the victim?! I was so fucking worried about you all night and… and!” Elliot lost traction, realizing that there were tears streaming down his face. He turned to look at Leo.  
Leo put his head in his hands.   
“I really messed it up now, huh? I really messed it up… You hate me, right?”  
“Don’t be ridiculous!” He closed the distance between them, “I was so worried that I’d ruined things because I like you! I really, really like you! Like, a lot!”  
“You… do?”  
“I need time and space to sort things out but I don’t need that much space… So quit it, okay?”  
“I… okay…” Leo stood, “I, um… Can I… hug you?”  
Elliot didn’t answer. Instead, he closed the distance and pulled Leo in. He held him like that for a while.   
“Uhh… so I guess you made up?” Reim said from outside the room. “Please don’t get me fired.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> platonic bro hug


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oop it gets gay

Elliot held the script an arm’s length away, as if seeing it all at once would help him memorize it.  
“Before, when we were-- when we were-- when you thought I was the Duke, you said that you loved me, and I wondered if…”  
“You’re supposed to sound nervous, Elliot. Try it again.” Reim cut him off.  
“You really get down to business, Reim…”  
“Did you hear me or not? Again.”  
Elliot began again, reading with less confidence this time. He looked to Reim at the end of the line for approval. He nodded, smiling.  
“Leo?”  
“If it was just an act?”  
“Yes.”  
“Of course.”  
The three were alone in the practice room. Elliot really had been having trouble memorizing his lines and requested after-school help. Leo came with because they had plans afterwards anyways, and (in his words) “When has extra practice ever hurt anybody?”  
“Oh… it just felt real,” Elliot squinted at the line, having trouble reading from so far away. He brought the script closer to his face.  
“Christian, I’m a courtesan--”  
“Wait.” Elliot stopped him. “Wait, I feel dumb but I have to know to do this. What-- what’s a courtesan?”  
“Like a prostitute with rich clients,” Leo said casually.  
“And the school is letting us do this play?”  
Reim nodded.  
“Well, we’re actually taking it to a small theater downtown. Leo has a couple friends that run the place and I… didn’t really want the middle schoolers coming over for this one.”  
Elliot nodded.   
“Shit,” Reim mumbled, looking at a text on his phone. “Listen, I’ll be right back. Keep rehearsing while I’m gone. I don’t know why Xerx keeps bothering me at work if he’s got his own damn job to be at…” He stood and left the room.  
There was a moment of silence.  
“So, uh… Leo. I have a question.”  
“Mm?”  
Elliot flipped a few pages later and pointed at the script.  
“Here it says we have to kiss. Do we, like… really kiss?”  
“Uhh… not necessarily.”  
“What, then?”  
“You can stage kiss.” Leo grabbed him by the face and stage kissed him quickly. Elliot’s heart leapt into his throat as he felt Leo’s eyelashes graze against his face in the moment they were close.  
“Like that.” He said, pulling away. “Oops. Did I startle you?” He chuckled to himself.  
Elliot felt his face get hot. “Uh, yeah. A little warning, please.”  
“You won’t want to kiss me when I’m wearing a dress, right?”  
Elliot scoffed. “Please, not knowing who Dahlia was made it magical. You’re definitely not what I was expecting.”  
Leo edged closer to him, so they were only a few inches apart.  
“I’m better, huh?” He smiled, tilting his head to look Elliot in the eye. “Of course, if you don’t like the stage kiss, we can--”  
“I’m back. I brought Xerxes.” Reim sounded exasperated.   
“Hey, fanboy!” Xerxes waved. “Hi Leo!”  
“This is about the furthest apart we can be during that scene. If you’re not prepared to be a little gay, you shouldn’t join musical theater,” Leo pretended like he was in the middle of an explanation.   
“Uh… But this scene says…”  
“We’re actually going to have to touch for that one. Don’t worry, I won’t get any dirty homo germs on you.”  
“You’re surrounded by gays, Elliot,” said Break forebodingly.  
Leo and Break burst into laughter at this. Elliot blushed.  
“Guys, I’m not--”  
“Alright, take it from the top.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yikes leo


	8. Chapter 8

“So, Elliot, how does it fit?” Said Leo from the doorframe.  
“Eh. Could be better,” Elliot admitted, fiddling with his costume. Tonight was the first dress rehearsal, and Elliot was wearing a costume slightly more ill-fitting than he was accustomed to.  
His father, upon hearing of Elliot’s lead role, had insisted on funding the department (Reim had approached Elliot crying the next day) and making sure that the show was spectacular. Not out of any real interest in his son’s hobbies, really, but more to uphold what good reputation the Nightray family had left. It had cost quite a bit to supply all of the costumes needed, and while they had initially intended on narrowing Satine’s wardrobe down to two garments, they had been able to afford the whole array. If he was being honest, Elliot had to admit that he had hinted to his father that the department lacked substantial funding and was quite pleased with himself. That, and he was secretly looking forward to seeing Leo in the array of outfits they had procured.  
“Rich boy,” Leo teased, “Used to having your suits tailored by Italian professionals, I bet.” He began to cross the room. Elliot, too preoccupied with the way he looked in the mirror, didn’t pay much attention to his friend, who was approaching from a blind spot.  
“Don’t you think I look sort of… bland?” He graciously ignored the jab.  
“Duh. You’re playing a penniless writer, you can’t have been expecting luxury.”  
“I don’t think it suits me,” Elliot furrowed his brow, looking at himself from different angles, “I’m not really cut out for this role…”  
“Don’t say that,” Leo was right next to him now, “I think you look very handsome.” An arm slipped around his neck.  
For the first time, Elliot turned to face Leo. He was wearing the red dress. He’d done his makeup and everything.  
“Oh. Uh…” Elliot felt himself staring, and desperately tried to restore eye contact. Feebly, he gave a thumbs up. “You pull it off…” He fumbled for a moment, then added a “man” to make it sound a bit more heterosexual.  
“Right? It fits nicely,” Leo nudged Elliot aside to admire himself in the mirror. His hair was even done, and when it was actually brushed, Elliot had to admit that it looked rather nice.  
“It… sure does.” Elliot chuckled, only noticing after it left his mouth that it was sort of creepy. “Um, hey! Who did your makeup? And your hair?”  
“I did it myself. I’m not letting anyone else near my hair, you know how I am,” He said, playing with it.   
Immediately, Elliot’s mind was flooded with images, some of Leo putting makeup on in the morning, leaning over the counter to get closer… Specifically of waking up to this. And even better, watching from bed, pretending to read a book as Leo washed his face and put on comfy clothes, then got into bed with him, reading over his shoulder for a little while before falling asleep and…  
Shit. That is SO domestic.  
Elliot yanked himself back to reality.  
“So I was thinking that we could go out for dinner sometime,” Leo said, as if in conclusion.  
“Oh!” Elliot collected himself, “Where would you like to go? I know a lovely place downtown, and I’ll pay for everything!”  
“That would be a bit expensive for the whole cast,” Leo mumbled, “Even for you. Seriously, if your family spends much more money on this thing, Reim is gonna think he owes you some life debt.”  
Elliot deflated a bit.   
“So where were you thinking?”  
“Maybe Freddy’s or something,” Leo turned to face him. “I’ll have to take a poll or something. You think it’s a good idea? As a celebration? I’d say your father can come, too, but he’s probably going to some sort of political dinner anyways.” He chuckled to himself.  
“Yeah, I think it’d be great!” Elliot tried to sound enthused. Maybe his was the right time. “And if you’d like to, just the two of us…” His heart was pounding. His words caught in his throat.  
“Yeah?” Leo raised an eyebrow.  
“Um, could we run some lines? It’s important to be alone… because…”  
“You’re the type to embarrass easily when you mess up, I know.” Leo finished his sentence for him, thankfully.  
“Y-yeah.”  
“We’ll figure that out later, then. You should really get your ass out there, pretty boy. I bet they’re waiting.”  
“Uh, yeah! I’ll see you on stage!” Elliot made his way out of the room, already sweaty. Maybe it was the costume. Maybe it wasn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> elliot thats kinda gay :/
> 
> also thank u this fic is surprisingly popular


	9. Chapter 9

It was opening night. They were about a quarter through the show. Elliot was losing his composure.  
Sure, it was generally the same as practice, but it was much different with the audience watching… his father watching. How did he play a convincing lead without being too into it? How was he supposed to explain to his father that his interest in Satine was more than just an act -- even worse, how would he hide it? Still, no matter how much he fumbled over his lines, he managed a decent delivery, and the crowd (larger than expected, many folks drawn in by the talk of political figures) seemed content.  
Still, there was an issue. With the lights and the crowd and the raw importance of it all, everything was dazzling. It really struck him that this was his first time acting. Not like the sort of acting he did when all cameras were focused on the 16 year-old political figure, talking about his school life or his love life or, most commonly, his father -- no, he was portraying a different sort of character. One that wasn’t entirely sure in himself, who wasn’t the son of a wealthy political figurehead, who wasn’t the steadfast, sure figure he brought it upon himself to be. Being in front of a crowd didn’t scare him. Acting didn’t scare him. It was the sheer vulnerability of the character he was to play that terrified him.  
He was onstage with Leo, going through an important number -- the characters they played fell in love during that song. Elliot wondered if he was playing the part too well. It felt as though his thoughts were being projected to the entire audience. He tried his best to play the role. Honestly, he barely needed to. With Leo, onstage, he was feeling a different sort of rush than he’d ever felt before. Very few things had been off-limits to him growing up, but he found himself glad that he hadn’t explored musical theater when he was younger. If he had, he may have been here, but the night would’ve lacked the same electricity, the same life that had him so nervous and so excited and so high on emotion that he thought he’d never come down. He was falling in love with the night. He was falling in love with the audience. He was falling in love with the art of it all. It felt special. So perfectly special and unique to be sharing this moment with Leo specifically. It must not have been the same for him, he’d done this a million times… but still, Elliot couldn’t see how anyone could escape the feeling the night brought.  
The number ended.  
They stood close, staring deep into each other’s eyes.  
Elliot found himself worrying about the kiss -- it was just a stage kiss, but his father… did he even know that Leo was a boy? Would he have a problem if he did? It was just a stage kiss, just like in practice, just like in rehearsal. He just had to gain some courage.  
“You’re gonna be bad for business.” Courage. “I can tell.”  
Courage. He had to build up courage, he had to become courageous, he took Leo’s head in his hands and--

Oops.  
Too much courage.  
Elliot squeezed his eyes shut as his lips connected with Leo’s. He smelled faintly of tea, of paper, of earthy things, but Elliot wasn’t focused on that. Instead, he was focused on how much he’d fucked up.  
Leo didn’t pull away, but he stiffened. No doubt the night was going to be something now. 

 

“You kissed me on the mouth!” Leo hissed, “That was such a dick mood, you know that, right?!”  
“I’m sorry! It was nerves and--”  
“Nerves, huh? You get on my nerves! It’s just like you to waltz into my life like you own me! You aren’t entitled to anything!”  
“I-I know, but--”  
“No, you don’t know! You can’t just come into my life like this and expect me to just be yours!”  
“I don’t expect... I wasn’t going to… I wasn’t thinking…”  
“That’s right. You weren’t thinking. What kind of a person are you?!”  
“I-I…” Elliot felt tears coming to his eyes. He’d never made such a big mistake. Leo strode his way, somehow violent in the movement.  
“Jesus Christ, Elliot!” He exclaimed, “If you’re going to kiss someone, at least do it properly!”  
Elliot flinched as if Leo was going to hit him when he moved. Instead, he found his friend’s hand finding the back of his head and yanking him forward, into a rough sort of angry kiss, which softened halfway through. After a good few seconds, Leo pulled away.  
“See? That’s how it’s done. Unscripted, unexpected… What is it?” He glanced at Elliot, who looked to be on the verge of tears.  
“I thought I really messed up,” Elliot mumbled.  
“God, did you!” Leo half-smiled. “It was a total wreck! I can’t stay mad at you for long, though… We have a show to finish.”  
“They’re expecting us out soon, huh?”  
“In two minutes. Go clean up, you have lipstick on your face.” Leo started towards the door to touch up his makeup briefly. “Oh, and… let’s have a proper first kiss sometime later, alright?”  
The door closed behind him. Elliot touched his fingers to his mouth. They came back smeared red slightly.  
Ah, so he did have lipstick on his face.  
He didn’t particularly want to wash it off, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the plot thiccens next chapter.... how will Elliot's dad react when Elliot sees him after the show???? Find out next time on dragon ball z


	10. Chapter 10

The rest of the night went without a hitch, if you don’t define the strangeness of returning to stage kissing after starting with the real thing as a “hitch”.  
Afterwards, Elliot was showered in bouquets from adoring fans (pre-teen groupies who treated him like a pop star) and ass-kissers alike. He could barely carry them all, and felt quite ridiculous, holding the things. News outlets wanted to know just why such a figure would want to star in such a ridiculous act and if his father had paid to get him the role.  
That was Elliot’s main issue: his father.  
He greeted him without the warmth of a family, but instead with the air of a business partner.  
“You did great,” his father said between photos, “but did you really kiss that boy?”  
Elliot froze. “Of course not.”  
“Good. I don’t care--” He stopped to take a photo. “I don’t care if you’re a homosexual or something, but stay away from people like him, okay?”  
“What do you mean?” Elliot furrowed his eyebrows.  
“Well, he’s… not exactly a player in the game, if you know what I mean. It would be bad for our reputation if you were to marry someone of that class…”  
“... Oh.” Elliot didn’t know what else to say. He caught a glimpse of Leo while he left, still in costume, speaking to a charming young man who he didn’t know and holding a bouquet, seemingly presented to him by the young man.  
He didn’t wave goodbye.

Elliot’s phone went off.  
“Hey, did you see that guy who gave me roses or whatever”  
“It was funny”  
“He thought I was a girl”  
Elliot groaned and responded.  
“You look like a girl”  
Leo called him.  
He picked up.  
“Hey, what’s up?” His tone was hushed.”  
“Do you wanna come over?” Leo asked.  
“Um… is nobody home?” Elliot looked out the window at his car. He’d just gotten his license a month prior.  
“I live alone. The situation with my parents and all…” He trailed off and there was a clanking.  
“Oh… Um, yeah. What are you doing?”  
“I’m making croissants. Honestly, I need somebody to help me eat ‘em all.”  
Elliot paused.  
“What’s your address?”

Elliot snuck down the stairs, past his father’s bedroom, nearly to the front door.  
“Where are you going?” His father’s voice called from behind him. He was still sitting in the spacious living room, drinking expensive liquor and watching TV.  
Elliot didn’t respond.  
His father didn’t glance up.  
“Don’t let anyone see you,” he said and waved Elliot off.

“I’m here,” he texted Leo instead of knocking. That would be too loud.  
“Just come in,” Leo texted him. Elliot wondered if this was some weird prelude to intimacy… should he have chosen to come here? He wasn’t sure he was ready. In fact, he was almost entirely sure he wasn’t.  
Luckily, Leo was just lazing on the couch, eating croissants in a baggy T-shirt and pajama pants. Dr. Phil was on, but he had a book in one hand.  
“Hey,” Elliot said, “You’re casual.”  
Leo looked him up and down.  
“Dude, you can’t relax in that.” He gestured to Elliot’s outfit -- a button-down shirt and khakis -- which was definitely Elliot’s idea of relaxing clothes.  
“I can’t?” He asked.  
“At the very least, it’ll be weird to sleep in. You’re sleeping over, right?”  
Elliot’s dad hadn’t seemed upset before so…  
“Yes.” Elliot answered before he could really think.   
Leo pointed to a door.  
“I have a spare set of pajamas in my closet, go change, ok?”  
It was sort of strange to change clothes in Leo’s room, but it wasn’t too bad. For one, he got to see what it looked like.  
It was a small space, much like the main room, but it wasn’t a bad space to be in. It was clean, save for the books stacked feet high and the unmade bed. Elliot had always wondered passively what kind of comforter Leo had.  
The answer was floral.  
Elliot opened the closet door and began to sort through his clothes to find the aforementioned pair of pajamas. To be honest, all of Leo’s clothes looked like pajamas to him and he didn’t want to go digging too much, just in case he found something he didn’t want to find.  
Perhaps a secret trap door leading to an even secreter room full of dead bodies or skulls or his photo album from when he was a baby or some sheer thigh highs and a garter belt…   
Elliot wasn’t sure which was most realistic for Leo, but he was certain it was either the first or third.  
Probably the third.  
Elliot grabbed what he thought were pajamas and threw them on. If they were the wrong clothes, Leo didn’t say anything about it. He just scooted over so Elliot could sit, and then leaned on him, taking a moment’s break from reading to get comfortable. His hair tickled Elliot’s face as he got comfortable.  
Elliot had to admit that he was a lot more relaxed here than he ever was at home… Even not knowing the full layout of the apartment, he was still safe. Leo’s hair smelled nice, faintly like vanilla. In fact, everything in the space smelled warm and sweet -- maybe a product of recent baking, maybe not. Elliot couldn’t find it in himself to care. He was falling asleep anyways.  
Slumped forward against Leo, he slept better than he had for a long while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's gettin good boys


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit Gets Serious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for blatant homophobia, the f-slur and abuse??

Elliot awoke on Leo’s couch in the late morning to the smell of something burning. He groaned, stretched his aching back, and rolled off of the couch, seeking his host.  
“Leo?” He mumbled, rubbing his eyes. “What are you burning?”  
“My toaster broke,” Leo admitted, somehow even less presentable than the night before, and somewhat irritable. “I gotta go to Wal-Mart to get a new one or something. I can’t eat a bagel untoasted.”  
Elliot decided he’d probably slept through a small fire. “Picky,” he scoffed, surveying the kitchen. Everything was in near-perfect order, save the smoking toaster on the counter. Leo definitely hadn’t struck him as a clean type, but he was glad to be mistaken.  
“Whatever,” Leo rolled his eyes, a hint of a smile on his lips. “Not all of us can afford caviar for every meal, Elliot.”  
At that, Elliot fell silent for a moment, watching Leo painstakingly retrieve the blackened bagel from his toaster.  
“Since breakfast is off,” he shot a pointed look at the trash can, “Why don’t I take you out, instead?”  
“Take me out?” Leo raised an eyebrow, “Where? I don’t do fancy, especially not for breakfast.”  
“Well, I only do fancy. You pick.”  
“And you’ll be going in last night’s clothes?”  
“I don’t see why not,” Elliot crossed his arms, “I barely wore them.”  
His host scoffed at that, mumbling a “Yeah, right,” and setting about making something else for breakfast.  
“I’m serious, you know?”  
Leo stopped for a moment, and sized him up. “You sure?”  
“Of course, I’m sure.” The guest cocked his head.  
“I thought I’d be an embarrassment in public.” Followed closely with “I’ll go get dressed. No peeking.”  
Elliot was rather offended that Leo thought him to be the kind of guy that would peek. After that statement, he did find himself a bit tempted, though. 

 

 

Closing the door behind him, Elliot crept past the den, peeking in doorways to see if he could locate his father. The pleasant glow of the day had been steadily fading since he’d embarked home, and his certainty that what his father gave last night was permission wavered. He had told Elliot not to get mixed up with the likes of Leo, right? So why would he condone it now? Just as he passed the threshold into the cavernous living room, the door to his father’s study creaked open, and out came the head Nightray’s firm voice.  
“Elliot, a word.”  
Wordlessly, he turned around and entered his father’s study, eyes trained on the ground. He didn’t know what was coming, and he didn’t particularly want to know. Just then, he was wishing he’d never come home.  
“I told you not to let anyone see you, am I mistaken?” His words were laced with venom, Elliot could feel his father’s eyes boring into him.  
“Yes, sir,” came the trained response.  
“Can you explain this, then?” The elder Nightray nudged a tablet towards him, which Elliot hesitantly looked over. It was some tabloid site, and on the front page was a picture of him, across the table from Leo, chatting over their meal. His heart stopped.  
“Well?” The tone was angrier, “What is this besides disobeying direct orders? Now, rumors will spread and it may hurt my political career. You know how important that is to this household, Elliot. Do you understand?”  
He didn’t. He choked out a weak apology before his father lunged across the desk at him, grabbing him by the collar.  
“Your mother is in tears, boy! Inconsolable! All because of you!”  
Elliot said nothing for once, wide-eyed. He felt like he would pass out at any moment.  
“She’s crying because her son -- her only remaining son -- has been outed as a faggot. First Vanessa, and now you.”  
A weak anger rose in Elliot, indignation combined with fear to create something stronger.  
“Father, please don’t--”  
“Don’t call me your father,” Bernard said coldly, shoving Elliot as he released his hold on his shirt. “You have half an hour. Collect your things and get out.”  
The younger Nightray was struck with a million emotions at once -- grief, loneliness, betrayal anger… mostly anger. Smoothing out the wrinkles in his shirt, Elliot glowered at his father and exited the room. It was only when he got to his room that he cried.  
He wasn’t sure why he was crying. They were angry tears, for sure, but as he stuffed his most prized belongings into the suitcase left in his room, he couldn’t be sure why he was so upset. His family had never treated him well. He should be relieved to get out of there, but still…  
His phone rang. At first, Elliot went to decline, but seeing Leo’s name and thinking about his prospective living conditions, he picked up.  
“Hello?” His voice was hoarse from crying.  
“Woah, are you okay?” Leo’s voice came from the other end of the phone. When he received no response, he continued. “I saw the articles… I couldn’t get in contact with you, I was wondering if shit hit the fan.”  
“Shit…” Elliot took a deep breath. “Shit certainly did.”  
“Do you need a place to stay?”  
“Yeah,” he croaked, too emotionally exhausted to be prideful. “Can I stay with you? Just for a little while?”  
There was a pause on the other end of the phone.  
“Yeah, but I’ll be out most nights. Work,” came Leo’s response. “You know where I leave, just bring your stuff in.”  
“Thanks, Leo,” Elliot smiled for the first time since he’d gotten home. “I really appreciate it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I warned ya


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mostly just elliot being sad

The next few days were the most rapid succession of emotions that Elliot had ever felt in his life. After school on Monday, Leo took Elliot thrift shopping. It was one of the most disgusting, fun, free moments he could recall. Watching Leo look over hideous clothing, picking out frilly things and woolen things, even a t-shirt here and there, Elliot was the happiest he thought he’d ever been. It was when Leo turned to him, beaming, having donned an army-green baseball cap with embroidered white text: “either you like bacon or you’re wrong”, that he began to really get the appeal. Not of thrifting himself, but of watching Leo go about finding the most ridiculous outfit combinations. He found himself enjoying their time.  
On Tuesday, they went to the reptile store, where they both peered through the glass at massive snakes and lizards, and where Leo marveled at a walking leaf, which Elliot was significantly less enthused about. Still, Leo lit up when the clerk offered to let him handle it, and Elliot made sure to make a note of the shop so he could purchase one as thanks for letting him stay over.  
On Wednesday, boredom set in. Leo was back at work, though he mostly worked nights, and Elliot was laying on the couch, where he’d been sleeping. He tried not to let his mind wander, but he couldn’t help but miss his bed. He decided that a quick rest would be fine, and made his way to Leo’s room, where he laid on top of the sheets and stared at the ceiling. He could hear the upstairs neighbors arguing. He closed his eyes, drifting into daydreams. He found himself asking what he’d done to deserve all of this -- all this awfulness and all this good at once? He was fairly sure he’d explored the full spectrum of human emotion in the past four days. He found that he didn’t miss his family -- not as much as he thought he would. His parents had never been in love, it had been a political marriage in its entirety. They slept in separate rooms. He missed his sister, Vanessa, the most. She was a poet, lover of women and art. Despite her well-to-do family, she insisted on working at the local library. She had a bit of a temper, but that was nothing Elliot was in any position to blame her for. He regretted not saying goodbye. As for his older brothers -- Ernest, Claude, Vincent and Gilbert… They were all in different situations. Having gotten into the less legal side of politics, Ernest had gotten himself killed. Claude had so happened to be there at the time, and was silenced as well. Vincent and Gilbert were both adopted, and both had moved out by now. Hell, Gilbert had even gone to support Elliot’s father’s greatest political adversaries, the well-loved and personable Vessalius family. Elliot wondered if his sister missed him, if his brothers even knew he was gone. He wondered if his father even meant it, or if he’d taken his words too literally. Thinking back on it, there was no other way to take them. Still, he wondered if such drastic action was really necessary, and against a rumor? Elliot was still figuring himself out. He spent a while trying to figure himself out, and before he knew it, it was the next morning. Leo was curled up under the sheets next to him, back towards him, still in his work clothes. Maybe it’d been a rough work day.   
Shifting in bed, he took a chance and wrapped one arm around Leo, pulling him closer. In reaction, Leo flipped over so he was facing Elliot and laid his head on his chest, letting one arm drape over him. He wanted to run his fingers through Leo’s hair, untangling the tangled bits and smoothing down the rest. He knew he’d jolt awake, and maybe the moment would be ruined… But lazing there, letting the clock tick well into the school day, with the reassuring weight of his new roommate on his chest felt like breaking free, somehow. Maybe it was better not to worry about his father’s image every time he opened his mouth. Maybe it was better to change his last name and move on.  
Still, the tabloids had been buzzing, and Elliot’s phone hadn’t received any texts or calls from his family. He wondered what he’d change his last name to. He wondered what Leo’s last name was. He wondered if that name might suit him someday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wanna write a relevant note but i cant stop thinking about the mothman. help?


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the long-awaited break pool noodle content that i definitely didnt see myself writing a year ago

“Well, look who bothered to show up!” Reim welcomed Elliot and Leo back into his class as soon as they entered. He shot them a glance down his glasses that said “I know something’s up but I’m not quite sure what.”  
Elliot nodded a greeting in return, unable to put into words just how he felt and why he had missed class.  
“I heard what happened,” Reim turned to the whiteboard, writing some nonsense about a class guest. “Your father is getting a lot of political backlash.”  
At this, Elliot perked up.  
“I would’ve thought I would be the one getting bashed online,” he said with a hint of laughter in his voice. Something about his father’s failure as a direct result of his gross behavior was satisfying. He almost regretted steering clear of social media for the few days he’d been gossiped about.  
“There are protests outside your old house,” Leo chimed in, “Like, dudes going shirtless in rainbow speedos and kissing. It’s like some sort of angry pridefest.”  
“You didn’t tell me,” Elliot accused, angry only for a second before his partner shot him down.  
“You asked me not to tell,” Leo stated calmly. Things really were so black and white for him.  
“Anyways,” Reim finished his writing on the board, alongside a poorly-drawn cartoon face with one eye, “I’ll actually be going to a meeting. The school board wants to talk to me about your little incident.” He shot a look at Elliot, who blushed.  
“Oh. You caught that, huh?”  
“There’s not a single person who didn’t,” came a voice from the doorway.  
“Xerx, finally!” Reim exclaimed, as if he’d been waiting. “Where were you? I’m going to be late!”  
“I stopped for Starbuck’s,” Came Break’s faux-disheartened response.  
Rolling his eyes and giving his fiance an exasperated peck on the cheek, Reim scurried out of the room.  
Elliot was on the edge of his seat. As Break puttered around, setting up miscellaneous props for some unkown activity, he watched. Leo even glanced up from his book, as Elliot was being unusually quiet. Finally, all of Elliot’s excitement burst forth in a loud “Did you bring your sword?!”  
All was quiet in the room for a moment as Elliot considered how stupid his question was. Break seemed to be considering the same thing. He scoffed.  
“What kind of substitute do you take me for?” He chided, becoming serious all at once.   
“Well, um… Mr. Xerxes Break, I--”  
Break cut him off. “Of course I brought it!” As if the past few moments had been a daydream, he was back to his usual smiling self. He retrieved it from the gym bag he’d brought and laid it out on the desk, sheathed. “I have to be prepared for an emergency!”  
“Yeah, an old guy with a sword will protect us in the case of a fire,” Leo quipped, with a hint of affection in his voice that indicated he’d known Break before.  
“Leo!” He feigned betrayal, placing one hand over his heart as if he’d been shot. “Your words are as sharp as ever! Lot of good they’ll do you when I have your head mounted on a stick!” Break jabbed a finger at him, smiling near the end of the sentence.   
“I’m still waiting on you to make good on that promise,” Leo glanced at his wrist as though he was wearing a watch. “Any day now.” They both burst out laughing. Elliot didn’t think it was too funny.  
“Do you two… know each other?” He asked flatly, once the laughter had calmed down and students had started filtering into the classroom.  
“We’re only best enemies,” Break smiled, leaning against Leo’s desk.  
“Cliched,” Leo mumbled, kicking at Break’s ankle.  
“We don’t all consume more books than food,” He replied, backing off a bit and returning to his spot behind the desk. There was a murmur amongst the students, half of whom recognized their former teacher.  
“Alright, attention!” Break clapped his hands, waiting for the room to fall silent. Once it did, he gestured to his crude caricature. “My name is Xerxes Break,” he proclaimed, as if the classroom didn’t already know. “Incredibly handsome one-eyed swordfighter and ex drama teacher, if you didn’t know.” A few students repeated the name to themselves. Elliot couldn’t hear them too well, as he was too focused on his idol -- his most looked up to person in the world, to hear much of anything. That was, until Break brought the pool noodles out.  
“Elliot, if you will,” He held a pink pool noodle out to him, which Elliot took in his hands, bewildered. He stood at the motion of a hand and joined Break in the front of the room.   
“Well? Demonstrate good stance.” His teacher demanded, holding his own pool noodle like a sword. Elliot followed suit, beginning to form an idea of what was going on. Break swung at Elliot first, his “sword” a flash of green and a vague “whoosh”. Elliot fought back, determined to prove himself. They struggled on for a good four minutes before the fatal blow hit. While Elliot was recovering from a lunge, Break took his opportunity and brought his pool noodle down on the back of his opponent’s neck. Despite the only real harm done being a bit of a sting and a hint of embarrassment, Elliot fell to the ground in an exaggerated display of death. Reaching one arm to the heavens, he croaked  
“Tell my wife… I love her.” Before falling to the ground and giving an exaggerated last breath.  
Break turned to face Leo. “He said he loves you.”  
The class burst into laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im so tired i wrote glassings instead of glasses h


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things get gay

It was midnight and Leo still wasn’t home.  
Elliot checked the clock for the third time that minute. The ticking was driving him up the wall, he was so focused on it that the blare of the TV was a nonsensical mash of noise behind it all. He’d been texting Leo for the past half hour when he heard the door open and slam shut, followed by a shuffling noise that only a very tired Leo could make. Slowly, he made his way down the hall, discarding items of clothing and neglecting to pick them up. Finally, half-naked, he made his way to the couch and collapsed over it, falling face-first into Elliot.  
“Rough day at work?” He asked playfully, to which Leo nodded. He’d had a seventeen-hour day, with school and all. “Let’s get you to bed.”  
He switched off the TV and tried to help Leo up, only eliciting a sleepy groan and a stubborn refusal to move. Now almost curled up against Elliot, he seemed to be beyond the reach of the real world. Leo was almost never this way -- he was naturally a very guarded person and only rarely showed any sign of fatigue, much less to this extent. Personal tendencies aside, it was obvious that Leo was not moving of his own free will. Two facts seemed more sure than any scientifically-proven truth:  
1 - Elliot couldn’t drag Leo all the way to his bed  
2 - Leo would most definitely sleep on the floor if left there, regardless of the cold.  
So Elliot opted to stay on the couch with Leo, dragging him up to lie partially on his chest while he thought. However, a thought presented itself to Elliot. Leo was totally out of it, entirely incapacitated. This left Elliot with the ability to do whatever he wanted with the other boy.  
Slowly, carefully, Elliot lifted his hand and ran his fingers through Leo’s hair. He would never allow this while fully awake, but his head simply fell into Elliot’s hand like that of a cat being scratched. He felt his heart leap. What were the extent of his powers? He felt invincible and vulnerable all at once. With his other hand, he slowly took Leo’s glasses and slid them off his face, slowly, as if trying not to wake him. Leo was definitely falling asleep now, resting all his weight on Elliot, eyes half-closed. Elliot wanted to see how much he could get away with, how much he wanted to get away with. Slowly, carefully, he leaned in and kissed Leo on the forehead. Then, with no further response from Leo, again. And again, and again, and again, almost as if he was determined not to leave a square centimeter of Leo’s face untouched. Waking up just enough to be active, Leo laughed softly. Elliot froze, sure he was about t be mocked for this ridiculous display of affection. Drowsily, Leo cupped Elliot’s face in his hands, and softly kissed him on the corner of the mouth.  
“Goodnight,” He mumbled.  
“Goodnight,” Elliot replied. Then, heart racing, face burning, he pulled Leo to his chest and tried to sleep. He thought that there must be something weird about this, and maybe Leo would bring it up in the morning. After all, that was an awfully gay thing to do with your best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh shit maybe they'll hold hands next chapter


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uhhh nsfw MENTION and IMPLIED also smoking also you guys were right

Summer was approaching and Leo had been awfully quiet. More quiet than usual. Sequestering himself in his room most days, visiting the library, or working until the sun rose, he had little time to speak to Elliot. Usually, late-night greetings would evolve into midnight snuggling in yesterday’s clothes, and most nights were spent on the couch when Leo was too tired to move another inch. He’d been awfully busy lately. Maybe he’d always been this busy. Maybe it had something to do with Elliot.  
“Should I get a job?” He brought it up over cereal, watching true crime on the couch.   
“You don’t have to,” he replied through a mouthful of captain crunch, “I’m making enough to support us both.”  
“That’s the issue,” Elliot tuned out of the docudrama on the television, “You’re working so hard, you’re always so tired. I mean -- did you ever work this much before? Has it always been this way?”  
“It’s not your fault, if that’s what you’re asking,” Leo shrugged, “It’s what life’s like. I’d be tired no matter how much sleep I got, trust me.” He set down his bowl and stood.   
“Off to work?” Elliot asked. It was a Sunday.  
“Yeah, but only for a few hours. I’ll be back by one PM, tops.”  
“Have fun,” Elliot returned his attention to the television, trying not to think about it too much.

 

The room was barely-lit in a hazy orange glow, curtains drawn and lights out. The lit end of a cigar travelled listlessly in the darkness as the smoker brought it to his lips. The room was oddly cold, and Leo felt a creeping sense of dysphoria, slowly growing with every passing moment. It was quiet.  
“Does he know?” The smoker asked, blowing a cloud of smoke directly into Leo’s face. He didn’t cough.  
“Does who know?”  
“Your boyfriend,” His arm, languid around Leo’s waist, pulled him closer ever so slightly.  
“You mean my roommate.” His answer was short and curt, “No. I’d rather he doesn’t.”  
“I saw you two in the news. He’s fancier than your usual clientele. Make sure you aren’t undercharging him.” The cigar’s lit end bobbed in a motion indicative of a scolding.  
“I’m not charging him,” Leo retorted coolly. “He’s down on his luck and needs a place to stay, and I know him from school. That’s it.”  
“You don’t want creeps getting their hands on him, do you? You know all too well how that goes.”  
At this, Leo huffed and turned away, dangling his legs over the side of the bed. “You said it, not me.”  
“Whatever, just take the cash from my wallet. It’s on the chair. Oh, and take an extra fifty. You earned it,” The smoker leaned back in bed and watched Leo go.  
“Recording again? You get Elliot into any more bullshit and you’ll be paying a lot more than money,” Leo hissed, buttoning his shirt. Conversation with the man was almost as intolerable as the sex -- but he was only getting paid for one. Pocketing the cash in the dark, Leo stepped out of the room and into the dimly-lit hallway, the whirring of machinery the only noise to keep him company. Stepping into the bathroom to change, Leo barely glanced at his reflection. What if Elliot would think less of him if he were to know? He wasn’t sure if it was himself or Elliot that he’d hate more in that situation.

“Welcome home,” Elliot mumbled, hunched over a cookbook.  
“What are you making?” Leo peeked over his shoulder. Chicken alfredo. It was an awfully simple recipe, but Leo doubted the other had so much as boiled water for himself before.  
“Chicken alfredo. I’m figuring it out,” Elliot waved him off. “Since you’re working and stuff, I thought I might as well make you something to eat.”  
“Ah, you’re playing househusband!” Leo clapped his hands together. “In that case, do your best! I’m going to take a shower.”  
“Okay, don’t take too long,” Elliot squinted at the page. “This says it’ll take fifteen minutes. Twenty, tops.”  
“Thirty, knowing you. Love you,” Leo kissed him on the cheek before turning and making his way towards the bathroom. Elliot felt his face become hot. He wasn’t sure if it was part of the “househusband” gag or not, but he turned nonetheless.   
“L-Love you, too,” He mumbled, watching as the door closed halfway through his sentence. He wondered what sort of thing Leo was doing at work all day, and if begging his family for forgiveness would be worth it, just so Leo could drop his job and always be alone with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cigar-smoking dude is on my list of least favorite characters i've created and i dont even have a name for him


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yesssss king two updates in one day

“Nightray residence, this is Amanda speaking.” Her bored voice sounded so different over the phone.   
“Amanda? It’s me, Elliot.” He felt his heart jump. His voice wavered.  
“... Yeah?” She demanded in a tone that was indicative of her distaste for her former employer.  
“Can I please, please speak with father?” He asked hurriedly, “I have some explaining to do, I know.”  
“No, I’m afraid he’s busy.” She popped her gum.  
“Seriously, Amanda. I need to speak with him, if not now, then later. If he’s busy, I’ll call back and--”  
“He doesn’t want to talk to you,” She hissed, “Get lost.”  
“Amanda!” Came Bernard’s restricted voice over the receiver. “Just who are you speaking to that way?!”  
“I-it’s your son, sir, I--”  
“Which son?” He snatched the phone from her hand. “Hello?”  
“Um… Sir, if you have a moment of your time, I’d like to speak with you,” Elliot mumbled nervously, entirely sure that his heart would stop at any moment.  
There was a pause. Then, a quiet “Go on.”  
“Well, sir, you see, I didn’t explain myself properly before, when we… went our separate ways. And, you see, sir, it was all just a big misunderstanding and, well, I, um… Leo is…” Shit. He hadn’t thought he’d get so far. “A personal servant!” He mentally kicked himself. “And I, uh… was interviewing him at the time of the photo… Um, you see, sir, we were in that production together and, well, he was looking for work…”  
“What you’re saying is that you’ve come to accept this lower-class citizen as a servant out of the kindness of your heart?”  
“Y… Yes, sir?”  
“I see,” Came the cold reply. “Is that all?”  
“Well, I was wondering if I… May come to represent the family name once again, since this has been cleared up?”  
“We’ll see how the news blows over. You’ve been quite a bit more trouble than you’re worth,” He said. “However, you can expect a monthly check from me for the time being in interest of your further development as possible future head of the Nightray household.”  
“Thank you, sir.” Elliot said as the line disconnected. He sat in silence, heart racing for several moments.  
“Oh, a personal servant?” Came Leo’s voice from behind him.  
“Leo! I--”  
“Can it,” he held up a hand, “I’m fine with it as long as you can cover your ass. We don’t want rumors spreading that all Nightrays are gay.”  
“I’m sure they still will,” Elliot patted the couch cushion next to him, where Leo sat and leaned against his shoulder.  
“Elliot,” Leo said softly, after a moment of quiet.  
“Yes?”  
“Can you tell me what sort of relationship we have?”  
Elliot was silent for a good few seconds, unsure of the answer Leo wanted.  
“Well, no… I’m not entirely sure, myself, but…”  
“But?” Leo didn’t turn to face him, instead scrolling through his phone.  
“I mean, what would you define this as?”  
“Roommates? Lovers?” Leo jabbed Elliot in the ribs with his elbow. “Don’t act so flustered, you tell me what kind of best friends routinely sleep in the same bed.”  
“I’ve never had a best friend, I don’t know!”  
“Well, I think the most important thing to consider is if you like boys.” Leo put his feet up on the arm of the couch.  
“I… don’t know.”  
“Do you like me?”  
“I like you,” Elliot confirmed, glad to finally have an answer.   
“So you must like boys then, right?”  
“At least one boy.”  
“Boy or boys. Whatever. What matters is that you like a boy.”  
“Yes.”  
“But do you LOVE him?” Leo suddenly turned to face him, staring Elliot dead in the face.  
“I… um…”  
“You do, don’t you?” Leo cooed, poking at Elliot’s ribs like a teasing friend, not someone seriously discussing their love life.  
“I mean--” Elliot desperately stifled a laugh. “I guess. Maybe a-- Maybe a little.”  
“I love you a little, too!” Leo chuckled, settling back down. Elliot hoped the “little” part was just humor.  
“Well, that’s good. Can I call you my, um… boyfriend, then?”  
“You can,” Leo confirmed. “I have one last question for you.”  
“Yeah?”  
“Would you…” Leo began casually, “Still love your boyfriend if he were hypothetically sleeping with other men for money?”  
Elliot froze. That was NOT what he’d been expecting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leo is kind of an asshole who can't read situations but that is ok


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> YESSSS KING OF POSTING

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's no nsfw in this chapter i promise

“Well hypothetically,” Elliot paused, “Yeah.”  
“Good!” Leo kissed him on the cheek, getting up. “Just making sure.”  
“Um, but… are you?”  
“I thought I made it clear that I am?” He turned to face Elliot, an eyebrow raised. Surely this wasn’t such a casual thing to be talking about.  
“Well, um…” Elliot started, fiddling with his sleeve, “Hypothetically… If your boyfriend was to be getting substantial monthly checks from his estranged family, would you consider giving this trade up?”  
Leo paused. “Hypothetically. Depends. Are you jealous?”  
As if it was a question. They had only started dating, but they’d lived together for quite a while and Elliot hadn’t so much as gotten to second base. Still, he would admit he was the jealous type. He got the urge to decapitate whatever guys Leo had been seeing -- particularly the attractive ones, but he wrote it off as illegal.  
“Yeah,” He nodded. “A little.”  
“I’ll consider it, OK?” Leo turned to head into the bedroom. “Get ready for school, loser. You’re gonna be late again.”  
“You’re gonna be later than me!” Elliot called after him. “More hair to wash and dry!”  
“Not on the records!” Leo’s voice called from the bathroom, the shower turning on. “I have an arrangement with Mr. Howard.”  
Elliot froze. He wasn’t expecting it to be so close, so personal… someone he knew, someone over fourty…  
“I dropped his class months ago ‘cause I was always late,” Leo chuckled. “Gotcha.”  
“You got me,” Elliot rolled his eyes and set about making his mind go to more pleasant places.  
Leo exited the bathroom, coming up behind Elliot.   
“You’re really jealous, though?”  
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”  
“I mean, I’d think you’d be a huge playboy, with your family name and all.”  
“Well obviously, you thought wrong,” Elliot huffed. “Go take your shower, you’re making me late.”  
“Come with,” Leo yanked on Elliot’s collar and he felt himself blush. They were moving awfully fast, weren’t they? Then again, he’d never been in a relationship before.  
“S-sure,” He stuttered, standing to follow.

The shower was overall uneventful. It turns out that Leo had shower stuff in mind exclusively, and minus an awfully intimate feeling that comes when you’re enclosed in a 5x3 space with another person, naked, it was an experience that Elliot was emotionally ready for. He was grateful for that. However, it did take twice as long for the both of them to get clean, as there was no way they could both rinse out their hair at the same time. They were hopelessly late by the time they were done, and Elliot figured he’d skipped first period enough times for it to be completely normal at this point.   
He fell back onto the bed, reaching out like a child wanting a toy. Leo read his body language and joined him in bed, huddling against both him and the comforter to stay warm. Elliot couldn’t help but long for more physical contact than he was already getting, so he pulled Leo closer.   
“This feels nice,” came the confession before he’d even realized it was going to pass his lips. It was true. He liked the feeling of skin against skin and the lazy atmosphere of the morning. He liked the smell of Leo’s shampoo and the feeling of his wet hair sticking to Elliot’s face. He liked the soft, slow breathing of his boyfriend as he softly entangled their fingers, almost as if by accident.  
Leo nodded his agreement, sighing and sinking deeper into Elliot’s embrace.   
“You have to stop skipping school,” Leo chastised, but only halfheartedly. He made no movement to get up.  
“I can skip however much I want,” Elliot smiled, “It’s Nightray privilege.”  
“I see,” Leo said as if understanding some great truth. “However, even future politicians still have to go to class.”  
“If you say so.”  
“And even future politicians want to go to drama class.”  
“I guess that’s true. I wish I could do nothing but drama all day. School would be easier.”  
“Doesn’t everyone?”  
“I used to hate it.”  
“People change. I used to hate you.”  
“You did?” Elliot’s question was in more of an amused tone than a hurt one.  
“Yeah, I thought you were a prissy rich kid who’d never worked a day in his life.” Leo chuckled.  
“And?”  
Leo lifted his head to meet Elliot’s gaze. “You’re that and so much more.”  
Elliot wasn’t sure whether to be insulted or enchanted.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oh my GODDDD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can't believe so many people like this... that's wild, dude

Baskerville.  
The name sounded immediately familiar and stirred up an odd apprehension to meet the one that it belonged to. Elliot couldn’t quite place where he’d heard it.  
It must’ve been either very late or very early, the sun having yet to peek over the horizon. Leo had slipped out of bed and was talking in a hushed tone to someone on the phone.  
What had woken him? He peered out into the hallway, squinting to see the shape outlined against the door and straining to hear the soft words spoken.  
“What a surprise.” He was finally able to make out a phrase. Cold and polite, in a defensive tone that almost never came from Leo. He was usually all thorns, attacking at the slightest provocation, and the controlled tone in which he spoke sounded almost nothing like him.  
“I wasn’t expecting you to call,” he continued, voice steady. “What do you need?”  
There was a pause.  
“I’m not interested,” he nearly snapped, his voice growing marginally louder. He covered his mouth and glanced back into the darkened bedroom, not long enough to see that Elliot was half propped up amongst the sheets. Another short silence.  
“No. I’m quite fine, thank you. You can delete my number… I told you not to call me that. Goodnight. Don’t call again.” He hung up promptly and the phone began to buzz. He answered it, his tone slightly more aggressive.  
“Hello?... I told you not to call again. Tell your wife the same, alright? I want nothing to do with the two of you and you have given me no good reason to be speaking to you. I’ll be blocking this number.” He hung up yet again, and after a few moments of tapping away at the screen, he put his phone back in his pocket. He glanced back again, this time for longer, and noticed Elliot, peering at him through the darkness. With a heavy sigh, he stepped back into the relative light of the room.  
“You heard all that?” He perched on the edge of the bed, cautious and rigid. He refused to make eye contact.  
Elliot sat up. “Leo, what’s going on?”  
“It’s none of your business. It’s drama -- personal drama, okay? I thought I was done with this.”  
He sat further up in bed and turned on the lamp.  
“What’s bothering you?” He said softly, taking a gentle hold on his shoulder.  
“Nothing.” Leo snapped, brushing him off. “I’m going to make coffee since we’re both up.”  
He began to stand, but Elliot grabbed the sleeve of his nightshirt.  
“Look, if it’s your business, it’s mine. I want to know.”  
Leo refused to look back at him, but instead pried himself free and made his way towards the kitchen.  
Suddenly troubled, Elliot made the decision to go back to sleep.

When he awoke, sunlight was streaming in through the blinds and Leo had his hair in a messy ponytail. He was sipping coffee and reading on the couch.  
Elliot began to wonder if it had been a dream.  
“Have you been up all this time?” He rubbed his eyes, still afraid to approach.  
“Yeah,” Leo said, shaking his head. “My meds aren’t working.”  
“This probably has something to do with it,” Elliot gingerly took the mug from Leo’s hands and took a sip. It was far too sweet for him.  
“I heard if you drink coffee and take NyQuil, you can warp into the astral realm,” he joked, scooting a bit so Elliot could sit. He took this as an invitation and wrapped his arms around Leo, burying his face in his soft woolen flannel.  
“You’d probably die,” Elliot commented, to which Leo nodded wisely.  
There was a moment of partially-tense silence.  
“You had me really worried,” Elliot finally admitted.  
“I’m sorry. There’s nothing to worry about now.”  
“I want to know what’s going on in your head.” Elliot blinked at his partner, who hadn’t turned the page in a while.  
“I think it’s safe to say that I’m just still working through old things. I don’t know when they’ll be over with.” He paused. “I thought they already were.”  
“What happened, Leo?”   
There was a long pause.  
Leo set down his book.  
“My… Parents called me last night.” He finally admitted, averting his eyes.  
“Your parents?”  
“They kick me out and say they want nothing to do with me, but the moment I start dating a politician, they want a piece of it. They want to meet your dad.”  
Dating? Elliot’s mind wandered for a moment, but he promptly snapped back to reality. Those questions would have to wait.  
“What for?”  
“God knows. It’s nothing good.” Leo rolled his eyes and half-smiled. “I’ll be dead before I let them use you, though. I swear.”  
“Don’t go talking about death like it’s nothing!” Elliot suddenly burst out, to which Leo responded with a fit of laughter. He didn’t really understand what was so funny, but he’d missed that smile, so he went along with it.  
“You’re cute.” Elliot smiled back. He was immediately hit by a wave of regret and anxiety. What if he thought that was weird?  
Leo stopped laughing.   
“You need to go to the eye doctor, Elli.” He chuckled.  
Elli.  
His heart throbbed and he turned his face away from Leo, hoping his expression wasn’t too obviously flustered.  
“Um… Did you say something about… dating?” He said, still facing away.  
“Aren’t we? We live together.” Leo smiled coyly, turning Elliot’s head to face him.  
“I mean… I guess, but not, like… officially, y’know?” He looked down at his hands, face red.  
“Well? Let’s make it official, then.”  
“So we’re dating now?”  
“Good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been so long since I've added to this, but thats just bc i know where i wanna take it but not how i want it to get there yanno


End file.
